Extreme Networks, Inc. announced availability of Extreme Retail Select
curated cloud technology packages designed to remove the cost and complexity
associated with selecting, buying, building, deploying, and managing network services
at retail locations. Solutions include a dedicated retail cloud environment and
pre-selected hardware and services elements, giving merchants the ability to
quickly and remotely deploy and support all
retail stores from anywhere. With a simple,
turn-key solution, customers can automate new store setup, maximize operational
efficiencies, and deliver consistent services and experiences at scale so they
can advance.

Leveraging
its deep expertise working with retail customers including Fortune 500 brands,
Extreme Retail Select packages are optimized for the unique needs of the retail
sector, providing IT teams with all of the elements they need to deliver
seamless connectivity and the same level of customer service, convenience, and
personalization that is available online. Customers can choose from six
configurations based on requirements for essential connectivity or for
high-performance, evolved environments. Extreme Retail Select packages are
available now via Extreme resellers.

Key
Features

Right-sized
Configuration:
Essentials packages include the tools necessary to connect
customers, employees, and point-of-sale devices safely and securely. They
also provide out-of-the-box analytics. Performance packages deliver more
capacity for real-time pricing, smart shelf and digital signage, augmented
reality experiences, real-time IoT, and distributed order management.
These packages are further segmented to accommodate locations of varying
size.

Rapid
Deployment and Cost-Effective Management: Configurations include
access to a dedicated retail cloud - ExtremeCloudTM IQ for Retail - and are
packaged with next generation Wi-Fi 6 access points, PoE switches, and
SD-WAN routers. ExtremeCloud IQ for Retail provides unified management of
the wired, wireless, and SD-WAN environment. It is based on ExtremeCloud
IQ, a third-generation cloud architecture that leverages machine learning
and artificial intelligence. The combination of hardware, software, and
services elements provides an elastic, cloud-driven network that
easily and seamlessly scales to accommodate fluctuations in retail demand. It also lowers cost in
procurement by reducing the number of individual solutions needed.

Analytics
and Insights:
A dual-persona dashboard
offers pervasive client and network visibility for all shoppers, devices,
applications, and IoT devices, along with comparative analytics for how
stores are performing relative to other locations. Store or business
managers have visibility into KPIs such as dwell times, loyalty
information, and site flow. IT users have visibility into response times,
alerts, and application usage across the unified network. 360-degree views
of the customer and network ensure the appropriate team can take advantage
of advanced analytics for shopper presence and proximity as well as
comparative analysis and cloud telemetry.

Assurance
and Automation:
Proven, third-generation cloud capabilities, cloud-agnostic service
integration, industry-leading data retention of 13 months for historical look-back
and year-over-year comparison, and open APIs give retailers assurance that
their back-end operations are optimized and configurable to deliver
exceptional customer experiences. Continuous delivery updates may be
minimized to reduce potential disruption during peak retail season, such
as from Black Friday until January. Beginning in April 2020, customers can
leverage Co-Pilot, a feature of ExtremeCloud IQ for Retail, to speed
back-end troubleshooting and automate issue resolution - from initial detection
to opening a ticket to resolution and reporting that the issue has been
solved.

Security:
PCI
compliance gives administrators the ability to secure customer and
business data while protecting their reputation with segmentation and
granular control capabilities that isolate guest or IoT traffic from store
operations. ExtremeCloud IQ for Retail is ISO/IEC 27001
certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Extreme
is the first cloud-driven networking vendor to be recognized by the ISO
for its commitment to information security management systems best
practices and controls.

"Secure,
reliable connectivity has never been more important in a retail environment,
but it takes more than great hardware. Extreme's dedicated retail cloud is a real
differentiator, providing both front-end capabilities and back-end
infrastructure that will accelerate the digital transformation process for
small and mid-size retailers. The ability to quickly and easily deploy in-store
networks - and keep them optimized - can be a challenge, especially during a
seasonal rush. Extreme Retail Select packages provide a comprehensive solution
that will dramatically simplify network management, deliver actionable
analytics, and by leveraging the cloud, make it even easier to roll out new
automation features."

David
Raftery, Chief Customer Officer, Integration Partners

"In a
fiercely competitive retail environment that's been completely reshaped by
Amazon, it can be challenging to grow mindshare and sales. Extreme's Retail
Select packages provide all of the ingredients we need in order to compete in
retail, from cloud-managed Wi-Fi access points, PoE switches and SD-WAN
routers, to analytics dashboards, to security capabilities. We're looking
forward to leveraging these solutions to help customers create the innovative
brick-and-mortar stores of the future."

Chad
Simpson, Vice President and Deputy CIO, City Furniture

"As
one of America's top-selling furniture retailers, we know that customer
experience matters, and our customers expect more than quality products and a
friendly smile; they also want frictionless network connectivity so they can
research and compare while shopping. With Extreme's Retail Select package, we
have a perfectly optimized, cloud-driven networking solution that provides
fast, agile, and secure connectivity. It also provides our IT team with a
centralized network view of not only our individual retail locations, but also
our supply chain. From this single, easy-to-use cloud dashboard, we can support
and manage the use of handheld scanners in our warehouses and fulfillment
centers, tablets to support inventory check and point of sale on the showroom
floor, and in-store guest Wi-Fi access across our entire footprint, saving time
and resources."